Meet Katelyn

Welcome to the KJ Blog! I’m Katelyn James, and my husband Michael and I are a VA wedding photography team based in Richmond, Virginia. We hope you grab some coffee (or a diet coke, in my case) and enjoy viewing our latest work, browsing resources for photographers, and getting a little peek into our life! I’m thrilled you stopped by!

Browse Wedding Inspiration

Browse by Category

Sponsors

is a FUN one! My sister’s wedding was absolutely amazing and it flowed smoothly because of so many people who helped us out!! Now, this isn’t the post where I’m going to breakdown how I shot her wedding. That’s coming later this week!! Today I’m showing some behind the scenes shots and thanking a VILLAGE of people who came alongside of us to make May 30th happen! Have you ever heard the phrase “It takes a village to raise a child?”… I hear it all the time when my friends with kids share about how much they need their family and friends. I think the same phrase could be used for wedding planning!

It takes a VILLAGE! You just can’t do it on your own! It’s impossible! We had the BEST village of friends and family help us out with Joe and Emy’s big day!!! Today I’m thanking them for all that they did to help us out!!

Wedding prep began WAY before the wedding week! However, the week before we had numerous craft nights and momma had spent hours washing vases and wiping down picture frames! Bobbi (Michael’s Mom!) is the resident crafter in our family since she was an art teacher for years and years! I know we were all hot and sweaty in this picture but we’ll enjoy looking back on this years from now!!

So lets start with Buddy and Jill (And Big Spring Farm)… because honestly, it started with them over a year ago when they came to us and said “Hey guys, we’re praying about potentially moving and starting a new life in Lexington… and opening a wedding venue!”. What a BIG dream!! Who knew that that dream would come to life so quickly and that the FIRST wedding would be my sister’s!!? Crazy!! They are the sweetest friends a couple could ask for and we cherish the time we have with them. Buddy and Jill are what we like to call “Life-Giving Friends”…. after you leave their presence, you feel energized, refreshed and so cared for. This makes them the PERFECT couple to run an event venue. They love people so well and instead of getting stressed when 200+ people show up to their home, they get excited! They were made for this… .and Ps. Happy Birthday today to BUDDY!!!!! We love you two!!!This shot below is of Jilly helping me shoot the dress in the barn!! I couldn’t have possibly done everything without her help!! So thankful for her positive attitude even in the midst of her busy season!!

Two little worker bees… Momma, thank you for all of the many Homegoods runs and late night shopping trips to gather all of the goods! I know Emy loved that time with you! Thank you for trusting me with a lot of the planning and decorating. It was fun to have creative freedom! It sounds weird to say but I’m thankful that you broke your foot back in the winter and had some time off of work to help with all of the planning! That was definitely a blessing in disguise!! Love you!

Huge thanks to Joe’s mom and sisters who helped out the day before the wedding with twig arrangements!!! AND a big thank you to Joe’s family for providing the COOKIE BAR. It was MASSIVE and so delicious!!

Momma Willis! This is Emily’s best friend’s mom and she and her husband came up a day early to help us out! I’m so glad they were able to be such a big part of the weekend!! Maria and Bobbi provided lunch for us gals before the wedding day pictures started. Thank goodness for wraps and chicken tenders!!

Let the wedding day begin!! Joy and RheaClare from Studio FBJ came all the way from Richmond to do hair and makeup for us and I cannot thank them enough!! I have NEVER not been impressed with Joy’s makeup skills! All of my FBJ brides have looked stunning until they exited their reception and so I knew that I wanted Emy to have that experience!! Thank you two for making us beautiful!!! Emily looked AH-MAZING!!!! We’re so thankful for you both!

Jan and Corinne… where do I begin!? These two are such hard workers. We asked “Sister Sweets” to do cupcakes and a cake for the big day and it was the best decision ever!! We grew up with the Beales and if we’re being honest, they are the closest thing we have to “cousins”! :) So of course we wanted to utilize their baking skills for Joe and Emy’s wedding day!! So thankful for their hard work!!! Everything was delicious!!!

Amanda!! Don’t hate me for posting this! Amanda from Anthomanic is like our family’s new best friend. :) This girl…. she’s SO pregnant! Baby Bane will be with us SO soon and yet she poured her heart and soul into Emily’s florals! They were absolutely STUNNING!!! They MADE the pictures and we can’t thank her enough! I knew a long time ago that I wanted her to be the one who did Emily’s flowers and I’m so thankful she was available!! Amanda we love you!! So thankful for you sweet friend!! xoxo And then there’s sweet Ashley on the right!! Ashley is married to Jeremy, our amazing videographer… and together they make up “We are the Mitchell’s”! We were SO excited when they walked through the door on the big day. For me, it was like a reunion of some of our best industry friends!!

Gayle… oh Gayle. You have been our second momma since we were little! For each of our weddings, you have been one of our biggest cheerleaders and supporters. Thank you for being SO EXCITED for us on our wedding days! I’m so thankful that you were running around our house on my wedding day and running around the farm for Emy’s wedding day! We love you so so much and we’re so thankful for your help!!!

That’s a dream team right there!!! Ashley, Annamarie and Jill, you three made it possible for me to be present in my sister’s wedding day without worrying about whether or not moments were being captured!!! I can’t thank you all enough!!

There I am…. trying to act like a Matron of Honor and a photographer at the same time!! It was hard to balance several different roles but because of all of our help, it wasn’t impossible. Can’t wait to share more about how we divided up duties and conquered the photography of the day!

Needless to say… the day was “Well Documented”. The funny thing is that most people can’t tell the difference between photo and video and so some people said to me “Katelyn are their 6 photographers here?!!”. Haha. We had a CANON ARMY that day!!

First look time!! I walked Emy down to the water and then switched from MOH mode to photog mode! They had one of the sweetest first looks I’ve ever photographed and I cannot wait to see the video of it!! What an amazing gift to be able to photograph your future brother in law seeing your baby sister for the first time on their wedding day?!!

Annnnd a state trooper slowed down and let out a siren and a “congratulations from the Va Sate Police” announcement during their portraits! And that shot on the left? I’m not sure what Michael is doing!

This is very typical. Michael and Emy have such a funny relationship because they were really close to being the same person. Same sense of humor, same mood swings, same ability to make anything fun. I’m so thankful they love each other….. and I’m glad they took this picture… because it sums them up perfectly.

These two… oh how I love them. It’s hard to find photographers who would 1. Be available 5 months in advance during wedding season, 2. Be willing to shoot a third of a wedding with not one but TWO other photographers, and 3. Be ok with a very unconventional way of photographing a wedding day. I divided up the duties of the day between the three of us and it worked out perfectly. Annamarie and Jill, you two were such HUGE blessings to me. I trusted you completely and you delivered the more beautiful images!!! Thank you, thank you thank you!! If you saw Joe and Emy’s Part 1 and Part 2, you should know that Jill and Anna shot getting ready together with me, then Jilly did Bridal party with Michael while Anna shot all of the many details and then they all tag teamed the ceremony and reception!! Whew! What a day!!! So grateful for such AMAZING friends!

Love this! Our sweet friends Josh and Mandy made the drive up ALL the way from Virginia Beach to help out on the farm!! Mandy was our parking greeter! I can’t think of a better person to meet and greet all of the guests!!! Love you Mandy!!

And then the adventure really began when we hopped in my brother’s truck and went off roading for the sake of some beautiful portraits with the mountains!! We only came close to hitting one cow who was hidden in the grass. No harm done. It was worth it!!

And THIS is by far the BEST behind the scenes picture of the whole post!! Corey was trying his best to fill Michael’s “Veil Fluffing” role. He did great! I just happened to capture this mid-dash!! And much to Corey’s dismay, we’ll cherish this forever.

Time to bustle!!! Anna Burke, you are one organized woman! We couldn’t have had such a smooth, enjoyable day if it wasn’t for you thinking of all of the little details and keeping us straight!! We love you and we’re so thankful for your skills!!! And once again, Corey is going to hate me for posting him carrying our nanny’s purse to the reception! Oh well!! At least he’s got a great smile:)

We’re so thankful for Richard and his willingness to be such a huge part of the day. Not only did he run sound and DJ the entire event, he sang while Emy came down the aisle!!! AND it was their anniversary!! Cheryl thanks for sharing him! We’re so thankful for all of your help Richard!! As always, you did an incredible job with EVERYTHING!

Huge thanks for Careen on the left for doing an amazing job playing piano AND singing during the processional!! We’re so grateful for your help! Everything was beautiful!! Her daughter’s were also a huge help with our “Hydration Station”!! Todd, TJ and their families stayed and helped us clean up afterwards!! That’s a BIG job! We couldn’t have done it alone!

THANK YOU for allowing all of us to be a part of your lives and this special day for your family… We wouldn’t have had it any other way! And that picture where you aren’t sure what Michael is doing… I think he was picking some of the tree “stuff” out of Emy’s hair… we were doing that ALL DAY LONG! Love you!

How awesome is this? What a true blessing for your family! The prep photos made me totally nostalgic for my brother and SIL’s wedding. We definitely had a village for the set up! The 7:00 AM set up time totally flies out the window when I think about the wonderful sister God blessed me with!

There is something to be said for hiring planners and letting someone else do all the prep and set up for your wedding day – But I love the time together with close friends and family pulling together to make everything special and perfect!

This post makes me SO HAPPY. We wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the whole wide world than with you and your sweet family for such an important and beautiful day! We love you guys!!! xo! The Mitchells

Sponsors

Follow along on Instagram

Katelyn and her husband Michael are a husband and wife photography team based in Virginia. While they photograph all kinds of weddings – local and destination; in castles, beaches, and barns – their timeless style especially thrives while photographing vineyard, plantation and estate weddings in Charlottesville and Richmond VA. KATELYN JAMES : JOYFUL, GENUINE, TIMELESS.